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Monday, October 5, 2009

I was approached by the makers of these Vapur bottles a few weeks ago. I was intrigued by them (the bottles, not the makers), so I agreed to give one a try (again, the bottle, not the makers). My kids and I like to drink water on the go, but I hate to spend money on bottled water, not to mention the whole "trashing the earth" factor of bottled water, so we have an eclectic mix of water bottles and sippy cups that take up like 158 cubic yards in my kitchen. Do any of you have a cabinet overflowing with bottles? You know you do if you've ever had to open the cabinet, throw the bottle in, and quickly slam the door shut before everything comes tumbling out.

These Vapur bottles are lightweight and flexible. The bottle stands upright when it's full and collapses flat and can even be rolled up, when it's empty so it takes up very little space. It comes with a carabiner ring so you can clip it to backpacks, lunch bags, purses, whatever. The Vapur bottle also has a spot to personalize it with your name (not that it'll stop your kids from swiping your bottle... ahem, JACKSON!) Actually, I can't complain that Jax took my bottle because he brought it with him to St. Louis last weekend and saved the day with it. When we were walking around the zoo, Brooklyn started whining that she was thirsty. Instead of having to spend like $5 on bottled water or pop, Jackson pulled the bottle out of his pocket and ran to the drinking fountain. Voila! We were all spared from Brooklyn's whining and didn't have to take out a loan to buy everyone drinks (because parents of more than one know that you can't just get one kid a drink, oh no.)

Bottles cost $8.95 for one or $29.95 for a family four-pack. And since you can keep refilling this with tap water, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying bottled water every week.

These bottles are durable, dishwasher safe, freezable, BPA-free (BPA is a toxic chemical found in many plastic containers that can leach into the container and be ingested by humans), come in bright blue, green, or pink colors, and hold 16 ounces of fluid!

Additionally, the environmental benefit of using the Vapur is huge. Reusable bottles help reduce the estimated 60 million disposable water bottles that end up in landfills every day in America alone, according to the Container Recycling Institute. The Vapur is also manufactured in the U.S. and ships flat, resulting in a carbon footprint that is significantly less than other plastic bottles.

Finally, as a member of 1% For the Planet, the company is donating a portion of all sales to water related environmental causes. 1% For the Planet is an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide.

These bottles just make sense. Use them and you'll save money on bottled water and you'll help save the earth too. Plus, as my son and his friends say, "These bottles are cool!" So, there you have it.

Now I've got 3 Vapur bottles for 3 random winners! Leave me a comment with how you'd use these bottles or what feature you like most about them and I'll choose the random winners on Friday. Good luck!

I did receive one free Vapur bottle to test out before writing my review, but was not paid for this post.

***** Edited to answer some of your questions *****

I admit we've only had this bottle for about 2 weeks, so I can't honestly say that it lasts forever. I don't know. It might, it might not. The way I look at it, even if it only lasts 6 months before needing to be replaced, I'll still be saving a ton of money on bottled water.

Also, several of you have asked how easy it is to clean. It's top rack dishwasher safe. So far, I haven't had any problems cleaning it. Of course, we just put water in it so it's not especially dirty or anything, but it's been coming out clean with no problems.

To the person who mentioned using these in airports, what a fantastic idea! I didn't even think of that! You can take the rolled up bottle with you through airport security and fill it with water on the other side, saving yourself a $5 bottle of water!

417 comments:

Those are so cool! I love how they roll up so you can tuck them in a purse or bag and keep one handy. It reminds me of how my mom used to carry around one of those collapsing camping cups so we could easily get drinks out of water fountains.

Wow, these sound great -- especially when it comes to weight and space they'll take up once they are empty. We go hiking a lot, and have to load up on water for five people. The bottles we use take up so much space, even when they are empty, so that seems like a nice alternative.

What a great idea on the bottle. I too open my cupboard and hope and pray that the contents of it dont explode on me. I also have about a gizillion water bottles around my house, in the car and everywhere else.. What Id like to do with that one is keep it in my huge over sized handbag that I seem to need to carry all sorts of things.. and then getting, and giving a drink wouldnt be such an expensive task!

Hi Dawn ... those bottles are so cool! Do they hold hot drinks, too? I love to sip hot tea on the go.

Here's a tip for you! When you go to a place such as an amusement park, etc., the establishment is obliged to give you ice water free of charge. We went numerous summers with the family to Knotts Berry Farm and never ever paid for a single soda. We've gone many times and ask for a cup of ice water and are never charged for it. We even get ice water at fast food restaurants free of charge. It's saved us tons of money! Try it next time!

I would love to try one of these out. We always get the "I'm thirsty" whine when drinks are $6.00. it would be nice to have something like this to carry around! I really like the environmental stuff, too!

I would love one of these bottle for taking water to work with me - the water there is GROSS and it would save me from buying water! And when it's empty I can just toss it in my bag and bring it home for a refill!

I started reading your post with the attitude, "Yeah, just another water bottle. Got that." But when I read about how they rolled up, and how you can personalize them, I was really intrigued. I guess my favorite thing is the space-saving feature. I take the Metra into the city for work and big water bottles -- even empty -- are just bulky and a pain. My only question is: are they durable? I'm eager to see.

My wife and I walk everywhere (don't have a car) and one of these would really come in handy while we're out. I really like the idea of a reusable bottle that can be folded or rolled up to save space. Neither of us want to lug around a big bottle just in case we need it, so while we drink tap water at home, we do end up buying bottled water occasionally when we're out and about. Having something that could be stuck in a purse or pocket until needed would be awesome.

This bottle is such an awesome idea! We buy a case of bottled water every month and refill our bottles everyday from the refrigerator filter to save from having to recycle so many bottles. I love the fact that the bottles can be rolled up and stuck in your pocket. We have a one year old and three dogs that we do outdoorsie thing with a lot and these bottles would totally save us! ....just like Brooklyn. =)

Ooh, ooh, me me me! We only have two kids, but when we head out to the Saturday sports marathon, we have to start dealing with the water bottles, and inevitably we end up with bottles everywhere. I'd love to get some storage space back with these! Thanks. :)

My husband loves to go off road cycling and brings a water "bag" similar to the water bottles that you have reviewed. His is inside a knapsack on his back.

We have found though that the inside of the "bladder" as it is called tends to get quite moldy as it never really dries completely because often times it is collapsed and doesn't allow proper air flow. Just something to keep in mind.

WOW this is an awesome idea. We go through bottled water a lot. I hate throwing the bottles out after we use them. Personally I can not leave the house without a drink in my hand and this would be perfect. I sure hope I win won.

I'm wondering how well they hold Diet Coke. And if they stand up to the volatile organic compounds found therein.

I'd use it when we travel. I'm a slob and when they hand out the cans of soda on an airplane, I always think, "Oh crap, what am I going to spill this on?" Since they don't allow me to carry on my own DC bottle, even empty, this would be a godsend. Just unroll and fill from the can. That way I'd have a top to screw back on and wouldn't have to freak out for the entire trip!

Those look awesome! My whole family is really big into hiking. We always hate when we are nearing the end and are stuck crrying our empty water bottles. There are no trash cans in the woods, and there is NO WAY we would just drop them there!. These would be a lifesaver for us, just roll it up and stick it in your pocket when empty?!!? Fantastic!!

Wow. I love the concept of these bottles. We too have a cabinet that is home to a million different water bottles. My kids use them all the time. My son is a scout and needs to have a water bottle when he goes camping. This one would be very easy for him to carry. Will have to look into ordering a family pack when it becomes available.

Ohhhh, I am very, very, very, VERY interested! I hope that makes me more likely to be randomly chosen! :) I haven't found a reusable water bottle that I really like - this one seems GREAT! Thanks for sharing. I am sure I will get one either way.

As I was reading your post, all I could think about was where to place my order NOW! My daughter and her family are on the go all the time and these bottles would be great for them-in the car, at the soccer field-everywhere they go. For me, I like that they can be frozen. I have metal reusable bottles but they're heavy and when they're empty, they get kicked around on the floor of the car. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea!! (And where CAN we order them??) Chris in PA

Our family has always used refillable containers to carry water around, but when we were in Disney World last month, I've got to say that it was a PAIN to carry around all those containers! Took up lots of room in the backpack!

This "collapsable" feature seems like a genius solution! Why didn't I think of that!?!?

Wow. Those are fantastic. It's not really what I will do with the Vapur bottle that will be interesting to you, but what I will do with all of that cupboard space that having those Vapur bottles will save! Now, to planning my next trip to Crate and Barrel....

Dawn, can you write back in a few weeks or months to tell us about cleaning these bottles? The problem I usually have with things like these is mold! Our hiking Camelpaks get mold in them if we don't drain and clean them right, including the tubing - anything I can't just take the top off off and wash in the sink/dishwasher and let air dry properly, really. It's why most of the time we just reuse bottles until they aren't doing so well. Can you really get these consistently clean in the dishwasher?

We are heading out for our very first big family vacation next month. We are going to Universal Studio's and then on to cruise to the Bahamas. Vapur bottles would be a godsend for us expecially at Universal. I am also a regular at the gym so it would come in handy there also. Thanks for all of the laughs.Katrina

I would use one of these bottles every single day. My son with Type 1 diabetes carries a water bottle around school with him so that he doesn't have to leave class a zillion times to get a drink when his blood sugar is high. This bottle is way cooler than the ones we have now and certainly easier to store!

Wow! what will they think of next! I never purchase bottled water so always carry around one of the grandkids extra water bottles. I walk every morning and evening so would love to have a Vapur bottle for water on these walks. I would keep it in my purse for those times I decide to stop the car at a interesting place to take a walk. That way I could always have water.

The water bottles look great. I have recently started counting calories to loose about 20 pounds and this water bottle would come in handy with all the water a person has to drink on a diet. lol Love your blog and would love to win the bottle.BlessingsDiane

Those are so cool! I bought H2O bottles for my kids at the beginning of summer to save money. Only one bottle made it through the summer. The other bottles broke. I like the flexibility of this bottle, saving the day when dropped. We take water with us when we are out and about too. Saves a ton of money when the kids are thirsty.

We are constantly going on field trips, and my kids are ALWAYS thirsty when we're there. So I end up buying a water bottle every time. I hate that!! These bottles would be great to bring in my purse and fill up before we leave or while we're there at a fountian.

Ooooh, pick me, pretty please! I have an almost 4 year old who is pretty much out of sippy cups but we need to carry something for her all the time. She would LOVE that and would use the heck out of it!

Okay Dawn you had me when you talked about cabinet space. My husband was just complaining that he was going to throw all the bottles out so I have more space for "real" dishes. Our girls, 8 and 6, love water bottles. That would be great for them to take to school.

I would send it to school empty in my son's lunch box and let him fill it up at the drinking fountain- he'd think he was king-no more squashed pb&j because I'm too thrifty (cheap) to pay for the plastic dinosaur sandwich protector.

What a great idea! I could really use one of those bottles. I am currently recycling, er, reusing water bottles, which is probably not healthy. I haven't found a water bottle anywhere in the stores that I have wanted. This is the perfect solution.

My family switched to reusable water bottles last year. I like that this one collapses flat when not full, which would come in so handy not only in all the ways/places I need a water bottle, but for storage in my tiny kitchen!

I think we have tried every other BPA-free bottle on the market. The last bottles I bought for my kids were $20+ each and they broke them the first week!I'd like to try this one - mostly because of the cost. :)

We have the cupboard that you throw the bottles in and slam the door before anything falls out. ;) I have four children who love to take water along. We would use these for car trips, walks, canoeing, etc. Thanks! Looks like a great product.

Hi Dawn, I would love to win one of these bottle. My son drinks water ALL of the time, and I try to encourage that. He plays sports and often goes through two big bottles of water. I would keep the Vapur water bottle in my car so that after sports he would be able to get a drink. Thanks!

Wow, what a great idea. I am running in a half marathon in Vegas in December and can tell you how many different water bottle brands are out there, but this is definately one of the coolest I've see so far.

These look very cool. I would probably use these for my kids sports activities. This way when they are done, I can just roll up the bottle and put it in my pocket. No more carry all those empty bottles with everything else home.

These look awesome! I would use this in my child's back pack. (of course if I win, I'd have to buy a couple more--but that's ok) Our local schools have "closed" the water fountains due to the swine flu, so the kids have to take water bottles to school daily. These look really neat!

That's a no brainer...I would use this bottle to take with me when I work out at the YMCA at our fitness boot camp. That way, lots of eyes could see it and I could tell them more about it, all the while staying hydrated. You so smart!

that is a great idea! I love that it collapses and can be rolled up when empty. that leaves me more room in the backpack for all of the other important stuff like Star Wars figures and headless Barbies:)

these sound like just the ticket. i'm almost as tired of making the kids carry the heavy, cold, and wet metal bottles back & forth to school as they are! we've been off bottle water for quite a while now, and like you, my biggest gripe is the space the bottles take up in storage!

Okay - I have FIVE kids (I know, you feel my pain) and four are in soccer...typical 'soccer mom'. I'm always forgetting their water or gatorade...so you'd save THEIR day by helping ME save the earth! :)

Those sound awesome!! We have sooo many sippy cups and those dang cups with odd straws.. I have a bag full in my storage closet! I was sick of slamming the doors on the kitchen cabinets! Ok ok If I had one I'd send it to school with my daughter :) They can't use the water fountains right now.. due to the flu outbreaks. So she takes a bottle with her everyday. I've had a heck of a time finding a cup that she can refill at the sink and then bring home everday to be washed (in her bookbag leaking all over books/homework!!!) Those look like they would be perfect for that!!

What a great idea!! We never leave the house without some kind of bottle of water or 2. My son is in Boy Scouts and I know how much use he would get with out of a Vapur bottle on all the campouts and projects his troop does.

These look great and ideal for me - Am about to start an exercise stint at the gym and would be great to take in and fill from the fountain as opposed to having to take in a bulky bottle instead. Do you know if they are they available in the UK??

What a cool idea! My favorite aspect is the rollability---I love thinking I could have one in my purse or lunchbox for times when we're on-the-go. My daughter hates warm juice, it would be great to be able to easily fill up with cold tap water. Awesome!

I'd love some of these to keep in my truck. That way when the kids get thirsty & forget to grab a water bottle from home, I wouldn't be forced to buy them something to drink! I love how compact they get.

OMG! I've never seen these! THey look so cool! I hate the bottled water scene==it's the worst for the enviornment! I do reuse plastic bottles but hate the space they take, not to mention how my boys like to stomp on the bottles & launch the cap into the stratosphere, ok so maybe just the ceiling, but it's all fun until someone loses an eye. Whoops, I digress. My 8 year old LOVES grape juice, so one of these bottles look like they're close to spill proof-at least I won't have a glass of it on my carpet! Thanks Dawn!

How cool is that?! I like that you can buy replacement caps as I have half a dozen bottles with no caps or caps that have been virtually destroyed by a kid who likes to bite on the spout. And my husband likes to put a bottle of frozen water in his lunch pail so that it keeps his lunch cold and he has cold drinking water for later in the day, so these would be perfect for that!

I would love to try this water bottle. My husband can't go anywhere without a water bottle. My kids, well, they wish they'd remembered to bring their water bottles with them and end up drinking all dad's water, much to his chagrin!

The first thing I thought of was being able to roll one up and take it with me on flights. Also, it would be great to be able to throw one in my purse and/or car and have it there when I need it. I do have some concerns about being able to clean this bottle if it is used for anything besides water.

These look very interesting. Can you put them in your cup holder in the car? Now if I could just find a place to fill them up with water that doesn’t have chlorine in it. I can't always run home to fill it up. : )

I would love to remove the many cubic yards of plastic water bottles that adorn the top of my kitchen cabinets. However with each new addition that we don't entirely LOVE we find an excuse to keep all the others. I would give almost anything to find one that would make the others obsolete and thus allow me to recycle them all and get back the top of my cabinets. Maybe this is the answer.... I'd love to win and find out. :-)

Now my husband, who for prostate-health-related reasons must learn to drink more water each day will have NO EXCUSE for not drinking his daily allotment of water! Currently I've heard "someone threw out the Arizona Iced Tea bottle I was using" and "I didn't know which bottle was mine so I left it there" and "I can't carry it around once I drink the water: I'm a gym teacher and I'm outside - what do you expect me to do with the bottle?"I EXPECT YOU TO FOLD IT UP AND PUT IT IN YOUR POCKET!!!PLEASE pick me!

WOW... a roll-up water bottle!! With everything that I carry into work everyday it looks like I'm moving in. My current water bottle is the 4th one I've had because I break them. I put them on top of the car so I can gather the rest of my 4 bags, and it falls off and breaks. So much for helping the environment when I have to buy a new bottle every week. A bottle that rolls up would fit in my purse and not fall off the top of the car. I can see the savings now!!

Would love to try it- I am have a million and one water bottles in my house and I need to find some that don't LEAK. I pack water everyday for my kids in school and I would love for the homework folder to come home dry!

I only drink water, and really only like cold water. So I always have 4 or more water bottles in my fridge. I buy some and then reuse them over and over. My 4 and 5 year old also have their own water bottles. We would definitely use these! I love that they roll up and I could stick on in my purse for errands and outings with the kids. Thanks!

These are so cool! I would love to have one to use in the kids backpacks. They would also be great to have in the car. I store bottled water in there but somehow it always ends up out on the floor rolling around!

These are perfect! I have to keep myself hydrated all the time, and so these bottles would definitely save us time and money. I can take it with me wherever I go and fill up when needed which would be often. Wonderful!! :D GO VAPUR!

We have 34 reusable bottles that are 31 different sizes, so none of the lids can be interchanged. Most of them sit and wait for their matching lids to reappear out of the abyss that is the "lid drawer". This would rock my world and enable me to move to a smaller house where I have no need of a water bottle closet and seperate lid drawer.

My son is always drinking water and with this bottle he can roll it up to take it to school and take it out after school to fill up for the half mile walk home or after school rehearsals instead of having to leave the room. This would be a great thing for him to have. Thanks for the chance Dawn!Angie

This is a brilliant idea! I do a lot of dance that requires both water and bringing a bag full of stuff with me. The problem with that is that a full water bottle makes the bag heavy, but even an empty bottle takes up a lot of space. These sound like the perfect solution!

These look pretty cool! I definitely would use them for the kids sports and I probably would find a way to roll up and have one in my purse so when my youngest and I were out shopping, we wouldn't "have to" go through a drive thru to buy a drink and fries and..

Like you I feel like I have so many bottles for water/sippy cups, etc., and for some reason I buy more!!! UGH!

I think these would be easy to store in the car, stroller, diaper bag, purse, pocket....whatever - so easy to transport and use in the situations when it's not easy to carry a bottle, cup, etc. of water.

Thank you for suggesting these - I think I might consider buying them for my sister as a gift - she is a big runner and it seems to me that she might like the easy transportability of these.

These are great. I would give it to my niece. She plays competitive soccer. She is always needed bottle water and we spend a FORTUNE on water for her. If she had this, I could fill it and freeze it in the morning so she could take it and have ice cold water by the time her games are on. It would definitely save money and the soccer itself is so expensive, every little bit helps a lot.

I bring water everyday at school from a reused starbucks cup,but once its empty i hate having to have it in my backpack in case it spills some drops and it takes up alot of room. This would save room and not leak!

I'm looking for new bottles to put in my kindergarten twins' lunch boxes. The types I've purchased at Target are leaking when not upright. How do you clean these Vapur bottles? It says dishwasher safe, but how does the dishwasher clean inside the bottle? I'd love to check them out in person! Thanks for the chance to win.

It's amazing that nobody invented these before now! I mean, it just makes sense. I would definitely use these DAILY. It seems like THE THING to have in a Mommy's purse or diaper bag for those who are "dying of thirst" on those trips away from home! Pick me, pick me!

These would be perfect for my almost 4 year old. He's very picky about cups to drink out of and I was looking for something water bottle like that wasn't a sippy cup and wouldn't take up much room. Thanks for this!

I would love one of these.I work and travel from one court house to another and freqeuntly visit drinking fountains (that either drip or squirts water over on to the floors. I don't carry the plastic store bought water as it is too heavy to carry in my purse. This bottle seems to have my needs in mind and I want one !Hope you pick me and thanks for the offer.Ps.. evidently I forgot my password and have tried it 4 times but it won't accept it. Hope I didn't end up sending this over and over.I am bdonna426 from NE Indiana

I am forever running my DS to gymnastics, karate, soccer, etc and forgetting to bring a water bottle! Love the idea of being able to have one in my purse or car for "emergencies"! Love the idea of it being more environmentally friendly too!

For SOS, could you link to the information on the charity you did with the kids last year for Christmas? I think they had to fill a carboard box with items and it had to be completed in October? Thanks!

I would love to try one out! My daughter plays soccer so that would be great to have for that. Also, she packs her lunch most of the time and I, like you, hate paying for bottled water. If I don't win one, I'm definitely getting one. Thanks for the heads up on this product.

I would love to keep this in my diaper bag. I carry a bottle of water with me most of the time, so this would be perfect. My husband would love the space saver too. I make him nuts with my collection of bottles.

Question: Can these get turned into squeezeable-water-squirting-make-a-mess-everywhere toys? (I only have two kids, but you'd swear that there are at least 10 of my son at all times.) I'd love to be one of your random winners to test it out for free rather than purchasing one.

These sound awesome! My family likes to bike and hike and we are always taking our reusable containers with us for water. I love that these are collapsable once their empty! Less bulky stuff to carry, yay!

I'm thinking this ought to fit nicely in my son's lunch box! I hate buying disposable water bottles for him but I have had a terrible time finding a reusable bottle that will fit. I should be able to fill this one the right amount so it will fit the spot. Even if I don't win I'll be keeping an eye out for these.

I would use these DAILY! We have activities outside of the house every single day. Tennis, ballet, chemistry, co-op, PE, scouts, ceramics, guitar - I'm constantly driving the kids somewhere and we are always taking water bottles with us!

Oh - I think we've found our refillable bottles!! I've been searching for the right bottle as we're trying to get off bottled water. I found a Pur pitcher on sale, so we've cut back on our bottled water, but I've had trouble deciding what water bottle to buy. It has to be BPA-free and easy to clean (cause I hate the sour smell water bottles get when you've not been able to get them clean). At these prices, they're less expensive than stainless steel or aluminum, and when they're empty, they'll store easier (and I'm sure they're quieter than metal banging around). I'd sure love a hand outfitting my family of 5 people & a couple dogs (they need their travel water, too)! Thanks for sharing a great product!

What a great idea, even if I don't win, I might have to buy a family pack of these, my girls take water to school everyday, and we try to recycle the bottles with Tap water every few days to reduce waste/cost. This would be a great alternative!

This is great. I would use them to clip to my boys while they are outside playing/riding bikes, so they arent coming in every so often telling me they are thirsty or dropped their bottle or spilled the water out. Awesome idea!!!

I was just looking at buying yet another bottle (like the cabinet can fit anymore) this weekend, but commented that I hate carrying it when empty! This would defintely make drinking water more convenient. Plus I would not have to go to the recycling center as often! :)

Wow, that's about the coolest invention EVER! And would make my diaper bag about a thousand times smaller. I always pack a bottle of water with me in case we're somewhere without access to water and my son needs a bottle. I'm seriously thinking I need to buy one.